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DRIVING THE DAY: At 9:45 a.m., “the President will deliver remarks at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum … The President will also tour the museum [at 8:40 a.m.] with and be introduced by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.”

--EXCLUSIVE PLAYBOOK PREVIEW: This is the first time President Obama has visited the museum, and is an important moment for him on three levels. First, the president will outline a new Atrocities Prevention Board, and will discuss other steps that could improve the nation’s ability to prevent genocide and other mass atrocities from happening in the future. This is a problem that has challenged the last two presidents (Bill Clinton on Rwanda and Bosnia, and George W. Bush on Darfur), both of whom regretted not doing enough.

Second, look for the president to address critics who say the administration is not doing enough to curb killing in Syria and Sudan, two issues that have focused much attention of senior leaders at the White House. Third, this will be an important moment for Obama and the Jewish community, with whom he has had an uneven relationship. Many leaders of the community will be in the audience, and they will be looking to hear what he has to say about the Holocaust and how he plans to realize his vision of Never Again.

OBAMA CAMPAIGN TRYING TO BOX ROMNEY IN AS CONSERVATIVE -- Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin: “Late last year, as Romney galloped to the right, Obama’s messaging team hit [him as] a political shape-shifter who lacked any real moral or political ‘core.’ … But [President Bill] Clinton, echoing survey data presented by Obama’s own pollster Joel Benenson, quietly argued that the empty-core approach failed to capitalize on what they see as Romney’s greatest vulnerability: An embrace of a brand of tea party conservatism that turns off Hispanics, women and moderate independents. A more effective strategy, Clinton has told anyone who would listen, would be to focus almost exclusively on Romney’s description of himself as a ‘severe conservative,’ to deny him any chance to tack back to the center …

“Last week, senior administration officials surprised reporters in a White House background briefing by correcting a questioner who suggested that Obama thought Romney had his ‘finger in the wind.’ … [A top West Wing] aide’s argument — which can’t be recounted here because of the strict no-quotes, no names ground rules the White House imposes on such sessions — set off alarms among the White House press corps … ‘He has a core now! You said he didn’t have a core — are you saying he has a core now?’ asked an incredulous TV network correspondent.” http://bit.ly/Jzu0dP

TOP TALKER – “Annals of Higher Education -- GET RICH U.: There are no walls between Stanford and Silicon Valley. Should there be?” by Ken Auletta: “If the Ivy League was the breeding ground for the élites of the American Century, Stanford is the farm system for Silicon Valley. … But online education might also disrupt everything that distinguishes Stanford. Could a student on a video prompter have coffee with a venture capitalist?” http://nyr.kr/HZWnyq

OBAMA CAMPAIGN THIS WEEK:

--BIDEN FOREIGN-POLICY SPEECH AT NYU ON THU.: “[T]he Vice President will describe how, under President Obama’s leadership, we have successfully confronted our enemies and strengthened our alliances to effectively meet the challenges we face overseas. The Vice President will contrast the Administration’s record with the empty rhetoric of Governor Mitt Romney, who continues to distort and mischaracterize the President’s accomplishments on foreign policy and national security without offering policy alternatives of his own. … The event is the fifth in a series of remarks that the Vice President has delivered across the country on issues that will be at the core of the general election.”

--“PRESS CALL TODAY: Senate Education Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, Former Massachusetts Financial Aid Administrator Eileen O’Leary, and [Obama for America] Policy Director James Kvaal to Hold Conference Call on College Affordability … to highlight President Obama’s commitment to keeping interest rates on student loans low so more Americans get a fair shot at an affordable college education and the skills they need to find a good job.”

--COMING ATTRACTIONS: “When Mitt Romney makes his return to [N.H.] this week, he will be forced answer up for his assertion in Conway in January that higher education costs will work themselves out in the free market and that struggling students should ‘shop around,’ as well as his support for the Romney-Ryan budget … Across New Hampshire this week, OFA-NH will host grassroots events on college affordability, including at several of the Granite State’s largest colleges and universities – discussing the President’s commitment to making college more affordable and contrasting that with Romney’s failed education policies.”

IF YOU READ ONLY ONE THING -- L.A. Times col. 1, “ROMNEY HEALTH PLAN HAS ITS RISKS: Consumers would shop for coverage instead of getting it at work — more choices but less security,” by Noam N. Levey: “In public, Romney has only sketched the outlines of a plan … But his public statements and interviews with advisors make clear that Romney has embraced a strategy that in crucial ways is more revolutionary — and potentially more disruptive — than the law Obama signed two years ago. The centerpiece of Romney's plan would overhaul the way most Americans get their health coverage: at work. He would do so by giving Americans a tax break to buy their own health plans. … Critics and independent analysts say the impact would probably leave a larger number of Americans without insurance. Conservative healthcare experts say changes along those lines would bring the benefits of competition to healthcare and that basic restructuring is needed. … Romney's plan follows a lead set by President George W. Bush, who unsuccessfully pushed for a healthcare overhaul. It adopts proposals long championed by conservative healthcare experts. …

“While offering consumers more choices, Romney's plan would give companies strong incentives to stop providing insurance to workers. It also would overhaul the 46-year-old Medicare and Medicaid programs for the elderly, poor and disabled. The plan could swell the federal deficit; a similar plan backed by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during the 2008 presidential campaign would have cost more than $1 trillion over 10 years, on par with the price tag for the Obama healthcare law. … [U]nlike Obama's healthcare law, Romney's plan could fundamentally change the rules for the more than 150 million Americans who get insurance through their employers. These workers get a large tax break because their health benefits are not taxed. Businesses that provide insurance also get a break because their contributions to their employees' health plans aren't taxed. In place of that system, Romney would give Americans a tax break to buy their own health plans, regardless of whether their employers offered coverage. …

“Romney would make a parallel change in Medicare — giving seniors the ability to shop for their own health plans with vouchers rather than use the existing government-run program. That proposal, which resembles a budget plan proposed by Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), would represent the biggest change to the federal entitlement program since its creation in 1965. … The third leg of Romney's plan would convert the Medicaid program for poor and disabled Americans into a series of block grants to states.” http://lat.ms/JjkTOV

JOSH GERSTEIN emails ahead of opening arguments at John Edwards trial in Greensboro, N.C.: “TV trucks outside the federal courthouse here … Lisa myers readying for today show live shot now … Awaiting word on whether judiciary is ready to join us here in 21st century or whether we have to leave blackberries in cars.”

FIRST LOOK – “Hill+Knowlton Strategies Launches Influence Point … Hill+Knowlton Strategies [today will launch] a new service called Influence Point … With H+K Influence Point, companies can serve online ads directly to individuals identified as influencers. H+K's combined research and digital teams have developed a proprietary methodology for identifying universes of financial, media and political influencers. These audiences can then be served display, video and mobile ads. This allows companies to dramatically decrease wasteful spending on large online ad buys targeted at specific audiences, even on the most accredited news sites.

“‘H+K Influence Point fundamentally shifts how you run influencer-driven campaigns,’ said Mark McKinnon, … global vice chair of Hill+Knowlton Strategies. … ‘Influence Point is another key strategic offering for H+K clients in the U.S. where we’re able to leverage insights and best practices from the political world,’ said Dan Bartlett, president and CEO of H+K Strategies U.S. … The new offering will be led by Andrew Bleeker, global digital practice director at H+K, and Josh Hendler, H+K’s global chief technology officer. Visit http://hkstrategies.com/influencepoint or contact influencepoint@hkstrategies.com.”

--PLAYBOOK “HOW IT WORKS”: The cookie-based system uses a proprietary algorithm, combined with consumer data, to narrow the number of people who likely influence public policy, would be inclined to buy a financial product, or who work in media. Factors include demography (age, household income), geography (urban, D.C.), and purchasing habits. It’s a corporate application of micro-targeting techniques pioneered by presidential campaigns.

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T MAKE IT … to the 132nd paragraph of Sunday’s N.Y. Times 188-graf, 7,600-word David Bartow expose, “Vast Mexico Bribery Case Hushed Up by Wal-Mart After Top-Level Struggle”: “Wal-Mart’s ethics policy offered clear direction. ‘Never cover up or ignore an ethics problem,’ the policy states. And some who were involved in the investigation argued that it was time to take a stand against signs of rising corruption in Wal-Mart’s global operations.

“Each year the company received hundreds of internal reports of bribery and fraud, records showed. In Asia alone, there had been 90 reports of bribery just in the previous 18 months. The situation was bad enough that Wal-Mart’s top procurement executives were summoned to Bentonville that winter [2006] for a dressing down. [John B.] Menzer, Wal-Mart’s vice chairman, warned them that corruption was creating an unacceptable risk, particularly given the government’s stepped-up enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. ‘Times have changed,’ he said.” http://nyti.ms/JxpXi0

TOP STORY – “French far right holds balance after Hollande edges Sarkozy,” by Reuters’ Paul Taylor and Daniel Flynn in Paris: “Far-right voters may decide who becomes France's next president after anti-immigration crusader Marine Le Pen's record first-round election score jolted the race between Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande and incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. The centre-left Hollande narrowly beat the conservative Sarkozy … by 28.6 percent to 27.1 percent, … but Le Pen stole the show by surging to 18.0 percent … Her breakthrough mirrored advances by anti-establishment Eurosceptical populists from Amsterdam and Vienna to Helsinki and Athens as anger over austerity, unemployment and bailout fatigue deepen due to the euro zone's grinding debt crisis.”

--Drudge (with pic of Obama and Sarkozy side by side): “FRANCE A FALL PREVIEW?” The (London) Daily Telegraph: “One in five votes for the far-Right as Sarkozy is beaten into second place” … The Times (of London): “Sarkozy faces defeat: Hollande wins first round of presidential election – Protest vote boosts far Right to record high.”

MORE DRAPER -- WashPost A6, “Freshmen turned into ‘a monster’ for GOP leadership: Group that delivered House majority stirred internal strife, book says,” by Paul Kane: “The freshman resistance … led some to fear a mutiny, … according to ‘Do Not Ask What Good We Do,’ an account of the freshman class’s impact by Robert Draper. ‘You’ve created a monster,’ Rep. Renee L. Ellmers (R-N.C.), a former nurse elected in 2010, warned House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) … The importance of the freshmen has subsided as the House and Senate have scaled back their agendas heading into the fall elections, but the group is poised to play a pivotal role in [the] lame-duck session.” http://wapo.st/IyLWnC$18.66 on Amazon http://amzn.to/J4tkZW

--A House GOP leadership aide emails Playbook: “Our freshmen are enthusiastic and that's good for our country. We achieved a number of important policy victories on jobs and spending over the last year, and those would not have been possible without them. We’re proud of what we have accomplished, and what we will be able to accomplish when we elect a Republican president and Senate.”

BIG, REBELLIOUS HOUSE GOP FRESHMEN CLASS NOW HAS TO RUN AS INSIDERS -- Kate Nocera: “[S]pending hasn’t exactly been reined in, the health care law is still in place for now and the Washington of 2012 operates a lot like the Washington of 2010 … Many freshman say they plan to run against the Democratic Senate and blame the upper chamber for the gridlock. Others say they’ve taken a lot of big, bold votes that live up to their promises — like repealing the health care law and cutting business taxes. But there’s no mistaking that this Congress … still has record-low ratings, and it’s not all the Senate’s fault. …

“For other members, a reelection campaign will focus more on what the House has done despite the gridlock. ‘I think we can point to the jobs bills we’ve passed out of the House that have been sent over to the Senate and haven’t been taken up,’ said Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.). … Some freshmen are simply going local with their appeals, realizing they can’t take any credit for changing Washington. Illinois Rep. Bobby Schilling, for example, pointed to a bipartisan piece of legislation dealing with a defense installation in his district.” http://bit.ly/Jjh1xu

** A message from Toyota: Our Toyota team members don't just lend a hand in the places we call home. They lend thousands. Last year alone, Toyota's team members volunteered 100,000 hours in communities all across America. It's how we help make the great community greater still. Check out the action at ToyotaInAction.com/community. **

WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Morris Stern, partner at New Partners, and Keith Stern, Rules associate for Rep. Jim McGovern, welcomed their second daughter—Colleen Ruth Stern—into the world on Thursday. Mom, dad, and older sister Sandy are all very proud.

U.S. CHAMBER TURNED 100 YESTERDAY, “celebrating a century in support of free enterprise and pro-business policies that create jobs and grow the economy. Continuing its trend of becoming the leading trade association in digital communications, the Chamber has introduced a Facebook Open Graph application -- the first-of-its-kind in the business advocacy space -- that will allow its fans to ‘stand up for American enterprise.’ The virtual action will then be shared on users’ Facebook Timelines.” http://on.fb.me/JjqeWm

ARTISTS, WHITE HOUSE TEAMING UP ON EDUCATION: Today, the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities will launch a new arts education initiative to help turn around failing schools and close the achievement gap. Developed with the White House Domestic Policy Council and the Department of Education, this program is the first federal effort to focus specifically on the role arts education can play in helping turn around low-performing schools in high-poverty areas, where kids are 50% less likely to have arts or music classes. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker and other artists, including Kerry Washington, Alfre Woodard, Edward Norton, Forest Whitaker and Yo-Yo Ma, will each adopt a school and work closely with them over the two-year program. Follow @pcah_gov #TurnAroundArts, or visit www.pcah.gov.

THE V.P.’S DAY: “In the morning, the Vice President will travel to the Everglades in Miami-Dade County, Florida. After touring part of Everglades National Park, the Vice President will deliver remarks on the Administration’s efforts to restore the Everglades at 12:30 PM EDT. … Over the past three years, the Administration has made restoration of the iconic Everglades a top environmental priority by significantly increasing federal funding and breaking ground on several key projects. These efforts remain vital to the state of Florida, as the Everglades are the primary source of drinking water for more than 7 million Floridians and their natural beauty makes them a critically important part of the state’s tourism industry.”

MEDIAWATCH -- NYMag, “The Tabloid Turncoat: Colin Myler, the Daily News’ new editor, knows his enemies at Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post. Maybe too well,” by Gabriel Sherman: “Rupert Murdoch … was happy to let Myler take heat for the phone-hacking scandal in order to protect his own son. … But New York is a new beginning. He’s no longer marching to Murdoch’s orders. Now he can put his own ideological stamp on the Daily News, score-settling of a different kind. For Colin Myler, these intertwining pasts are a prologue to the tabloid war he’s now joining. ‘It’s going to be fun,’ Myler told a reporter. …

“When Myler’s appointment was announced, [Post editor Col] Allan sent Myler a message: You bastard, let the battle begin. … No longer did [Myler] have to suppress his liberal leanings. Politically, the Daily News had been tracking Zuckerman’s Democrat-in-Name-Only evolution, but Myler has seemed to nudge it toward his own Labour Party leanings. WHAT DOES A WOMAN HAVE TO DO TO PROVE SHE WAS RAPED?, a front-page headline asked after a jury failed to convict a cop on rape charges. And in the Trayvon Martin case, he steered his paper’s coverage crisply leftward.” http://bit.ly/I7OHPw

** A message from Toyota: Our Toyota team members don't just lend a hand in the places we call home. They lend thousands. Last year alone, Toyota's team members volunteered 100,000 hours in communities all across America. It's how we help make the great community greater still. Check out the action at ToyotaInAction.com/community. **